Arjowiggins Graphic  today announced a new research relationship with HP aimed at improving the ability to deink printed materials from HP Indigo and HP inkjet digital presses.

The relationship has been forged to ensure that paper from HP Indigo Liquid Electrophotographic (LEP) and inkjet digital print jobs can be recycled and ultimately avoid landfills.

While currently the amount of LEP and inkjet materials found in the recycling process is small relative to analog prints such as offset lithography, the use of these types of digital printing technologies will increase. It is therefore essential for the industry to develop effective solutions to ensure compatibility with recycling mills, such as those operated by Arjowiggins Graphic, when digital prints become a more significant portion of the recovered paper stream.

The two companies have agreed to test new techniques for deinking and test on an industrial scale. After in-depth research and scale-up tests have been performed, optimized process conditions will be run at Arjowiggins Graphic’s state of the art de-inking plant at Greenfield in France and compared to the current process compatibility with digital prints.

John Cooper, Customer Support Director at Arjowiggins Graphic, explains:

“The Greenfield mill is one of the most advanced environmentally friendly de-inking sites in Europe. As a result, it is the ideal place to conduct research into deinking these printed materials. This relationship will contribute to establishing Greenfield as an industry centre for de-inking solutions of digitally printed materials.”

Pinni Perlmutter, Director of Technology for HP’s Indigo division, says, “Digital printing has many positive benefits, such as the elimination of warehousing inventory and reduced make-ready waste. HP is working to extend those benefits by collaborating with Arjowiggins Graphic to develop a greater scientific understanding of deinking fundamentals.”

                                                                          Crédit Photo: Greenfield sas

(Click on the photography for more information about Greenfield Mill.)